PadCare Labs offers eco-friendly sanitary pad disposal

October 7, 2022 Innovation Valli Sarvani No comments

Sanitary pads take several hundred years to decompose in the earth when they are buried. On the other hand, if they are burned, they release harmful and toxic materials.

In this context, a Pune-based startup, PadCare Labs, came up with an innovative solution. Its eco-friendly sanitary pad collection and disposal system helps break down the used pads.

PadCare Labs was founded by Ajinkya Dhariya, a mechanical engineering graduate. He worked on a project in waste management as part of his engineering.

Ajinkya then realized that there were no eco-friendly solutions to dispose of sanitary pad. It made him work on sustainable and eco-friendly solutions for it.

He and his team started researching to understand the problems faced by women in the disposal of sanitary pads. He started a survey with his mother, family members, relatives, friends and other women.

Many offices installed incinerators to dispose of sanitary pads. However, many women expressed in the survey that they were not comfortable carrying their used pads outside the bathroom. Hence, he wished to bring a solution to the problem.

Ajinkya collected responses from over 1000 women and understood that there were many problems in the disposal of sanitary pads. He also realized that not just women but the cleaning staff, who handle the sanitary waste, were also facing many troubles with the disposal.

He and his team worked on the problem and came up with an innovative solution. They developed SANECO and UVECO to dispose of sanitary pads.

UVECO is a sanitary pad collection bin, which is installed in washrooms. This touchless collection bin can be operated automatically with the help of sensors. When a user hovers her hands over its sensors, it opens the lid to dispose of the sanitary pad into it.

SANECO is a unique waste management system. When the collected sanitary napkins are transferred to SANECO, it disinfects and segregates the waste into cellulose and plastic.

During the pandemic, the startup developed two other products, UVSATHI and UVHANDY. They work based on UV-C technology and help disinfect surface areas.

Ajinkya launched a website to sell the products and clarify doubts about them. The startup’s PadCare and PadCare Bin are good solutions for the disposal of sanitary pads.

Image Credit: Padcarelabs Website Screenshot